Behind the Mask
by pancakezv
Summary: Draco and Hermione: a match made in heaven just waiting to find out that they were meant for each other. Their story is just beggining and it's up to them to finish writing it. Little did they know one night at the Yule Ball will change everything


_**Behind the Mask**_

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling and not me. I'm simply borrowing them for a while 3

A/N: Thanks to my beta Michelle for editing my story

"Are you ready yet mate?" Shouted Blaise Zambini.

"Coming!" replied Draco as he made his way down the stairs of the boy's dormitory to the slytherin common room.

Together, they made their way to the great hall where they were meeting their dates for the Yule Ball. Draco made his way to Pansy and they linked arms as they entered together.  
"You look great Draco." Whispered Pansy.

"You do too." Draco replied empty heartedly as he stared at the couple walking in through the doors.

There stood Hermione Granger with Viktor Krum entering together arm in arm. A twinge of jealousy instantly jolted through his mind. There she was, merely three meters away looking more beautiful than ever. But yet he felt like he was miles away knowing that he could never be the one to hold her.

"So beautiful…" Draco mumbled to himself.

"What was that?" asked Pansy.

"What?...oh…." Draco said breaking out of his reverie slightly blushing. "…Nothing."

They made their way through the crowds of people gathered around surprised to see Hermione with Victor and complimenting her on how pretty she looked.

_How I wish I could be the one she came with tonight... wait… what am I thinking? I'm foolish to even have the slightest thought of ever having something in the world as pure and as innocent as love._

Faking a smile on his face, he joined the conversation Pansy, Blaise and Blaise's date, Loraine started. He pretended that the subject of Lisa Gordon's new boyfriend interested him.

"Let's dance" Blaise said to Loraine as he led her to the dance floor.

"Let's dance too" added Draco to Pansy.

He danced the night away trying to suppress the feeling of longing he had to just run to his dorm and let every seep of emotion that he had masked away erupt and escape.

The night finally ended and Draco walked by himself back to the slytherin common room leaving Pansy as she was still talking with her friends about how great the night has been. Something he was obviously not interested in. As he turned the corner, he heard a sound of someone shouting.  
"Ron! You completely ruined EVERYTHING!" shouted Hermione who after dropped down hugging her knees and started to cry. As a furious Ron stomped off to the Gryffindor common room.

Building up the courage to go up to her, Draco pulled himself together and put on his famous smirk like a mask.

"What's the matter mudblood?" He said, finding it rather difficult to say the last word.

Using the word "mudblood" should be completely natural for Draco because he has been saying to her for as long as he can remember. It was the final stroke to complete the bad boy image he had painted for himself. However, he can't help but feel slightly guilty each time he said it to her.

"None of your business you pathetic scoundrel!" shouted Hermione in return. "Just go away!" "I don't need your insults and mockery to make my day worse!"

"I'm…..sor..sorry" he managed to say through much difficulty. "I didn't think you were….so…." "so….upset… at the moment…"

"You NEVER think or care so just leave me alone!" Hermione said as more tears formed in her perfect chocolate brown eyes.

Draco let a look of true pain show through for once in his life. Never had he let anything get to him as much and much less show his real feelings for once in his life.

"Sorry….." mumbled Hermione as she saw a look of pain flash across his face. She wasn't about to let herself sink to his level no matter how angry or upset she was.

"Are you okay?" asked Draco awkwardly, anxious to hear her voice again.

"I'll be fine." She replied

Each time he heard her voice, it felt like he was in heaven.

"Thanks for……. asking." Hermione added in a soft whisper as she blushed.

"Well, if you're ok then I guess I should go to bed." Draco replied. "Good night"

"Night" she replied slightly shocked at his politeness.

Draco strutted through the corridors and once he thought he was a fair distance away from her, he swore loudly at himself.

_How could you possibly show consideration to a mudblood when you aren't even allowed to feel at all? "Emotion is for the weak, and love only causes pain and broken hearts." He remembered his father telling him when he asked what it was like to be in love. _

Arriving at the Slytherin common room at last, he said the password and entered the dim room.

_So dark, cold and empty_. He thought to himself. _Just like yourself…_

He went strait to his dorm and slipped into his four poster bed. He wanted to sleep. He wanted to live in the fantasy in his dreams forever. To be free to feel whatever emotion he wished to feel, to cry when the tears were burning in those slate grey orbs to be set free. Tonight he wanted to drift off into his fantasy world instead of pondering the question that was etched into his mind every second of every day. _How can he get away from the death eaters and live to be the person he wanted to be instead of being simply "Lucius the death eater's son"._

That night, Hermione couldn't sleep. The closest to civil conversation she had ever had with Draco was constantly replaying in her mind. Each word and sentence they exchanged had been engraved in her memory and she can't stop feeling slightly worried about him. Every time she heard him insult her, she had always thought that he was just being mean but for some reason tonight, she wondered if it was because of whom he was expected to be that he acted cold and cruel instead of acting mean because he simply wished to.

The next day, having not slept all night, Hermione accidentally bumped into someone when she was entering the great hall for breakfast. Stumbling, she fell down.

"Sorry" She mumbled.  
"It's ok…"

She instantly recognized the voice of the person she bumped into due to the fact that she heard it in her dreams all night.

"Are you okay?" Malfoy asked as he offered her his hand to help her up.

"Ya…I..I'm fine…"Hermione muttered as she graciously took his hand.

After helping her up, he took a glance at her eyes and they both felt something course through their bodies. He realized that he was still holding onto her hand and reluctantly let go. Both their cheeks turned a scarlet color.

"I..I better go…"Hermione muttered.

"Ya…I better get going myself." Draco said.

They both turned and walked their separate ways to their house tables.

They are two completely different people but they share one common interest: each other. Never will they forget the other because they know that someway or another, they will end up together. Their story never started until now, but there are unlimited pages waiting to be filled up with adventures waiting to come; their adventures of finding each other and true love at last.

A/N: Thank you for reading this story! Pls take into consideration that this is my first fic and will hopefully be writing a full length fanfiction later on. Until then, R&R


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